Paul Scholes has said Liverpool still rank among Manchester United's major rivals and described Sunday's Old Trafford game between the two as one of the biggest of the season.

The 38-year-old United midfielder said that, despite the Merseysiders' failure to challenge for the title in many recent seasons, meetings between the teams always generated a memorable atmosphere.

"I think it was the top one for quite some while," Scholes told Inside United. "Liverpool probably haven't done as well as they'd have liked over the last few years, and they'd probably admit that, but it's still right up there - it'll always be right up there."

With 18 and 19 league titles respectively, plus five and three European Cups, Liverpool and United are English football's two most successful clubs.

But Liverpool are currently 21 points behind league leaders United and, since contesting the title in 2009, have not finished in the division's top five.

"Whether Manchester City have overtaken Liverpool now [as United's biggest rivals], I don't know," Scholes added. "It'll probably take years for City to create what Liverpool have done.

"But Liverpool historically are our biggest rivals - they're always the biggest games and the best atmospheres. But I'm sure City will run them close."

Having announced that he was to retire after the 2011 Champions League final, Scholes returned to action a year ago and said he had no regrets about making a comeback.